This is one of the most surprising movies I've seen in a very, very long time. The film's director, Vittorio DeSica is one of my very favorites and I try to watch everything of his I can. His other films such as THE CHILDREN ARE WATCHING US, UMBERTO D. and MIRACLE IN MILAN are masterpieces, so I naturally thought STAZIONE TERMINI would at least be a good film. Instead, it was absolutely horrible in practically every way. I think the main problem was that in this film, DeSica had abandoned the type film that made him so famous, the so-called "Italian Neorealist" style. In the movies I listed above, DeSica used non-actors and the films excelled due to their realism and down to earth style. However, here, DeSica was "cursed" with a larger budget and the talents of David O. Selznick. While Selznick was no doubt a talented man, his style and type of films he made were in no way like those of the neorealist school. Plus, being a Selnick production, the film had to star Selznick's live-in and perennial leading lady, Jennifer Jones. This was a bad choice, but it got even worse when the Hollywood-minded Selznick ALSO cast Montgomery Clift as Miss Jones' lover. These famous actors were all wrong for DeSica's style, but it got even worse because Clift was cast as an Italian professor--yet he didn't even have a trace of an accent!!! This was apparently an anti-neorealistic movie, as all attempts to film "normal" people went out the window. Apparently the big bucks that came with a Selznick production were just too tempting to DeSica and he sold his soul.
Now if the problem had only been the casting decisions, I still could have lived with the film. Sure, I would have been disappointed, but there still could have been a good movie hiding under all the Hollywood glitz. Unfortunately, the casting was possibly the least problem with this awful film. I can't recall another mainstream film with dialog this bad or syrupy or as poorly written. I expected something artistic or meaningful but it delivered something like an Ed Wood flick--it was THAT bad. The repulsive gushing and mushiness of the dialog is practically stomach-turning, as Clift and Jones slobber all over each other and whine about their love. Sure, a tiny bit of this might have been okay, but to extend this self-indulgent claptrap for practically the length of the film was unforgivable. Also, some amazingly stupid dialog was in the film about how Clift loved Jones so much he wanted to make her his wife and beat her regularly to show he loved her. In fact, later when he was angry about her spurning his love, he back handed her---wow, now THAT'S a great way to show her you love her!! And Jones, being a total low self-esteem weasel, actually apologizes to him later after this altercation!! Another problem, and this one shocked me, was that at times the film had poor cinematography--with fuzzy or out of focus shots that made it look like the film was made by a rookie. I really think that the film looked as if DeSica just gave up and wanted to get the whole mess finished as quickly as possible. By the way, even the music was bad--way too loud and way too much at times.
By the way, if you care about the plot (and I don't really think it matters), Jones has been having an affair with Clift. However, she has a daughter and husband back in America and is naturally torn. Clift comes to the train station and whines and begs her to stay and she is like a yo-yo in her decisions--one minute swearing to stay and the next declaring she'll go. Enough already--just GO!! In many ways, it's like an Italian version of BRIEF ENCOUNTER--just not nearly as well made.
Apparently I am not the only one who hated this film. When it was shown in the same form I watched it, the audiences hated it and Selznick "re-tooled" the film and trimmed it significantly. I did not watch this newer version, but based on what he had to work with, the only way it would be significantly improved is if it were trimmed to the length of a movie trailer! Aside from tons of cash and alcohol, I doubt if there is anything that can induced me to watch the other version (INDISCRETION OF AN American WIFE)--my disgust for this movie is THAT great!! Sappy, poorly directed and cast as well as having some of the worst dialog in history--avoid this movie unless you are a masochist.
Now if the problem had only been the casting decisions, I still could have lived with the film. Sure, I would have been disappointed, but there still could have been a good movie hiding under all the Hollywood glitz. Unfortunately, the casting was possibly the least problem with this awful film. I can't recall another mainstream film with dialog this bad or syrupy or as poorly written. I expected something artistic or meaningful but it delivered something like an Ed Wood flick--it was THAT bad. The repulsive gushing and mushiness of the dialog is practically stomach-turning, as Clift and Jones slobber all over each other and whine about their love. Sure, a tiny bit of this might have been okay, but to extend this self-indulgent claptrap for practically the length of the film was unforgivable. Also, some amazingly stupid dialog was in the film about how Clift loved Jones so much he wanted to make her his wife and beat her regularly to show he loved her. In fact, later when he was angry about her spurning his love, he back handed her---wow, now THAT'S a great way to show her you love her!! And Jones, being a total low self-esteem weasel, actually apologizes to him later after this altercation!! Another problem, and this one shocked me, was that at times the film had poor cinematography--with fuzzy or out of focus shots that made it look like the film was made by a rookie. I really think that the film looked as if DeSica just gave up and wanted to get the whole mess finished as quickly as possible. By the way, even the music was bad--way too loud and way too much at times.
By the way, if you care about the plot (and I don't really think it matters), Jones has been having an affair with Clift. However, she has a daughter and husband back in America and is naturally torn. Clift comes to the train station and whines and begs her to stay and she is like a yo-yo in her decisions--one minute swearing to stay and the next declaring she'll go. Enough already--just GO!! In many ways, it's like an Italian version of BRIEF ENCOUNTER--just not nearly as well made.
Apparently I am not the only one who hated this film. When it was shown in the same form I watched it, the audiences hated it and Selznick "re-tooled" the film and trimmed it significantly. I did not watch this newer version, but based on what he had to work with, the only way it would be significantly improved is if it were trimmed to the length of a movie trailer! Aside from tons of cash and alcohol, I doubt if there is anything that can induced me to watch the other version (INDISCRETION OF AN American WIFE)--my disgust for this movie is THAT great!! Sappy, poorly directed and cast as well as having some of the worst dialog in history--avoid this movie unless you are a masochist.